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Thursday, March 15, 2018

NatureGlo's eScience REVIEW

Have you ever heard of the Fibonacci number sequence? I had heard of it but didn't remember what it was. I was excited to be able to participate in our next review for the MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle from NatureGlo's eScience. Gloria Brooks is the creator and teacher of her online, partly Charlotte Mason-based, curriculum. She incorporates several subjects into her teachings (unit study approach) with lots of hands-on and interactive activities. She holds a bachelor's degree in K-12 education and has a real passion for the subject matter in her teaching. The basis of the classes are general and there is no Creation or Evolution specific teachings (just not mentioned at all in her lessons).

Sample page from Intro Lesson

Another sample page from Intro Lesson

I was given access to her online 4-Class Bundle for one year. Each class is divided into 6 weeks (one lesson per week). They all follow pretty much the same schedule. Basically, you have links to a copy of the PDF slideshow of the lesson, the study guide, lap book pages (for some, not all lessons), and any other necessary supplements needed for the class.

Slideshow PDF printable of lesson

PDF printable study guide with answer key

Each class has access to the video lessons (usually broken down into 2 or more short, 3-12 minute--sometimes longer, videos per lesson). The lessons are recorded versions of the live class. I did not participate in any live classes. We liked that we could go at our own pace if necessary. On the right side of each lesson page is the overview of what comes next in the class. As you progress through the lesson the individual tasks are crossed off as you mark them as completed (you can always go back and unmark them as completed if necessary). Each lesson can be simple or very complex. She has offered links to SO MANY extra research and activity topics you could easily spend 2 weeks on a lesson if you really dug deep. I also like that you can't skip ahead but have to complete the lessons in order to progress (I have one that likes to jump around a lot).

Dashboard showing your courses

Sample of completed lessons

Sample of lesson page with downloadable files and lesson progress on the right

I can't stress enough that there are SO MANY things to learn, follow and research while going through this study. She has links to other resources, online activities (I like the quizlet games that test your knowledge on what was just covered) and other videos. Like I mentioned before, you could easily spend 2 weeks on a lesson if you really wanted to dig in deep. We have kept it light and just cover one a week. The extra activities really give the kids a good hands-on real-life experience with the subject matter.

Cookie activity from Lesson 3 (screenshot from lesson)

We chose to first study Math Connections with the Real World. The six lessons included in this study are:

Introduction & History of the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci Numbers

The Golden Number & Fibonacci in Art, Architecture, and Nature

The Fibonacci Numbers in Nature

The History & the Golden Ratio of the Great Pyramid

Phi & Quasicrystals

The Mathematics of Music

We are currently in the last lesson. I have so enjoyed that we have covered art, math, history, language arts and science in these lessons. I have really enjoyed the history part. I keep saying I. What about the kiddos. Well, they have not enjoyed this so much. We got into the first lesson and I lost them. I have artsy kids and they just don't get into this math/history stuff (even with the extra activities--bad attitude). They REALLY don't like language arts. Well, ya still gotta learn! I agree with them that the videos can be a little annoying since they incorporate the live class which has a lot of delays due to dialogue and kids trying to mark up the pages as asked. No problem though, just use the printable PDF slide show and you are good to go.

The course is recommended for ages 10 and up. I feel that unless a child is really math oriented and a go-getter they might not find a lot of interest in this material. If you can get them going on the activities I think that would peak their interest. For my 8th grader, I think he would do much better on this in a year or two and use as high school credit and go deeper into each lesson.

This wasn't a good fit for my kiddos but as I stated, I have really enjoyed the subject and all the research that went into creating this study. I peeked at the other classes and I will definitely be at least going over them with my bundles of joy, LOL. There is just a lot of good information that gives them a practical life application on how math and science work in our world.

All in all, I would still recommend the MathArt Online 4-Class Bundle. If money is an issue then you have the option for payments or to just purchase one or more of the units individually (you, of course, get a discount for the whole bundle plus if paid in one lump sum). She does have a refund policy so check it out and decide what is best for you. I think you would really enjoy this fascinating subject and how math and science are just woven into the world around us. She also has other classes available in addition to what is available in the bundle.